CONTRIBUTORS

Advice for safer travels

JACQUES LOURENS HOT TOPIC, P. 20 A special thanks goes to the paramedic Jacques Lourens for approaching Drive Out with tons of information for this month’s Hot Topic on overcoming medical emergencies in the bush. Your generosity might save a life, Jacques.

What is your earliest travel memory?

Going down to the coast near Sedgefield over December holidays, where we stayed at Trail’s End on the Swartvlei Lake.

The best place you’ve ever visited?

One of my most unique experiences was a week on a houseboat on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. We caught tigerfish and watched game from the river. That was real Africa.

What is your number one travel tip?

Based on my experiences as a medic, I’d say preparing for a medical emergency and having a plan in place for these eventualities is key.

Do you plan your trips in detail or just go with the flow?

I love exploring maps and Google Earth by zooming in to places. You can switch to various layers to show pictures, topographical info and places. Most of my trips are planned in a fair amount of detail like this.

Which destination in Southern Africa would you like to visit?

I’m planning an East Coast round trip, starting from the Garden Route (where I stay) up towards Coffee Bay and then north towards the Drakensberg. I hope to do some climbing and hiking.